A's bring back lefty for 2025

Jason Burke | Nov 7, 2024

Aug 17, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher T.J. McFarland (48) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Athletics announced on Thursday that they have re-signed left-handed relief pitcher T.J. McFarland to a one-year contract for the 2025 campaign. McFarland becomes the first free agent to sign on to playing in Sacramento, though his familiarity with the club likely played a role there.

McFarland made a career-high 79 appearances out of the bullpen and held a 3.81 ERA (3.82 FIP) across 56 2/3 innings pitched. While the ERA wasn't a career best, his 2024 numbers did outpace his career average ERA of 4.10. The big-league average ERA for a relief pitcher in '24 was 3.97, so no matter where you expect McFarland to be in that range next year, he's likely to be right around league average, which is a hugely useful piece for the A's as they reassemble their bullpen.

Not only was McFarland productive on the mound, he was reliable. After watching the A's bullpen in 2023, where there just never seemed to be a fresh arm available, a guy like McFarland coming in to grab between one and six outs is huge for keeping the rest of the guys fresh and effective. The 35-year-old pitched in nearly half of the A's games this past season.

On top of being an underrated contributor on the field, off the field he was a mentor for some of the younger guys. On multiple occasions this season he mentioned how he has a special place for fellow Rule 5 draftee Mitch Spence, whose locker in the clubhouse was just a few down from McFarland's own. The lefty also said in a September interview with A's on SI that he has tremendous respect for manager Mark Kotsay, and that he's welcomed being a veteran leader in the A's clubhouse. Seems like a good fit for the team moving forward.

The lefty becomes the only guaranteed southpaw in the A's bullpen, with Brady Basso and Hogan Harris also serving as options, but they could end up in the rotation as well, depending on injuries and roster construction.

While the McFarland signing won't stick out to onlookers when the offseason is all said and done, it's an important one for this rebuilding A's team. He was always the same guy in the clubhouse, which is important over 162 games. He showed the young guys how to be a pro, and that's exactly what this team needs.